Not Stephen Curry’s 'finest moment' but Warriors...

1of5Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) high-fives forward Kevin Durant (35) as he's introduced before game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, May 4, 2019.Photo: Loren Elliott / Special to The Chronicle

2of5Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) displays his frustration after a foul was called on him during overtime in game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, May 4, 2019.Photo: Loren Elliott / Special to The Chronicle

4of5Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) chews his mouth guard during overtime in game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, May 4, 2019.Photo: Loren Elliott / Special to The Chronicle

With the Rockets up five points in the closing seconds, Curry had a chance for a driving dunk. A basket wouldn’t decide the game, but it could make him feel better.

Instead it made him feel worse.

“Not my finest moment,” Curry said of the slam-clunk.

Curry pedaled a stationary bike in the locker room long after the game had ended. He came to the news conference clear-eyed.

“I look forward to Monday,” he said.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots a floater during the second half in game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, May 4, 2019.

Photo: Loren Elliott / Special to The Chronicle

So do his teammates. Because they’ve learned that when Curry has a bad game, he usually rebounds with a good one. Curry’s playoff history is littered with bounce-back games: 32 points after being held to 18, 34 points following a 14-point effort, 37 points coming on the heels of an 11-point outing.

“As a competitor, I know he’s pissed with himself, and I think that will bode well for us,” forward Draymond Green said. “Probably it’s going to lead to some aggressiveness, and we like it when he’s aggressive.”

Head coach Steve Kerr knows Curry well enough that he doesn’t have to have a sit-down with him to discuss the off night, when his point guard had 17 points, made just two 3-pointers and actually missed two free-throw tries.

“My job is to help players succeed,” said Kerr, who also expects elevated intensity from Curry in Game 4.

“He’s just really, really competitive and gets locked in,” Kerr said. “He comes out with a lot of focus and a lot of fight.”

The points at the end of overtime weren’t likely to change the outcome of the game, but why didn’t Curry try a mere layup?

“I was feeling pretty good and had a nice head of steam,” Curry said. “And probably a lot of frustration, too, with the way the rest of the night went.”

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) gourds Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) during overtime in game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, May 4, 2019.

Photo: Loren Elliott / Special to The Chronicle

Instead of a release valve, the muffed dunk became the exclamation point of Game 3. Social media lit up with “What’s wrong with Steph?” questions. His sister Sydel sarcastically tweeted: “The world. Has come to an end. Oh no.”

It was the sixth miss of the fourth quarter and overtime for Curry. That 0-for-6 in crunch time was almost all driving layups, the kind of shot that is nearly automatic for Curry. But nothing was falling for him.

So is his finger, which he dislocated in Game 2, an issue? He is playing with his injured left middle finger taped to his ring finger.

Curry was making no excuses. Not about the finger. Not about the sprained ankle he has been nursing since the Clippers series.

“I’m out there playing,” Curry said after the game. “You’ve got to produce. Just didn’t happen tonight.”

The anger and outrage of some fans when a star doesn’t produce is strange. This is not acting, where the mark is hit, the line delivered at the perfect moment. Sports is real time. Curry has conditioned us to believe he will deliver a clutch performance, a dramatic three, some shimmies and joy and lots of points. It seems weird when the performance doesn’t follow the script.

“He just had a tough night,” Kerr said. “Everybody — and it doesn’t matter how good you are — you’re going to have some bad games. He obviously struggled. It just wasn’t his night.”

It also hasn’t yet been his night from 3-point range against Houston. The best shooter in the land is shooting 25 percent from distance, hitting 8 of 32 in the series. Curry has had a few other dry stretches in his playoff career, but — nonetheless — this is surprising.

“Steph has a good balance of beating himself up and moving on with life,” Green said. “That’s part of the reason he’s the shooter that he is. … The toughest thing is to miss shots and keep shooting. Your confidence wavers.

“But he’ll miss four in a row and heat-check the fifth one from 35 feet. It works for him.”

There are three league MVPs on the court, and two of them are playing like it. As James Harden and Kevin Durant have dueled, Curry has been only on the periphery.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County, Ann Killion has covered Bay Area sports for more than two decades. An award-winning columnist and a veteran of 11 Olympics, several World Cups and the Tour de France, Ann joined The Chronicle in 2012. Ann has worked for the San Jose Mercury News, the Los Angeles Times and Sports Illustrated. She is a New York Times best-selling author, having co-written "Solo: A Memoir of Hope" with soccer star Hope Solo,"Throw Like A Girl" with softball player Jennie Finch and two middle-grade books on soccer, “Champions of Women’s Soccer” and “Champions of Men’s Soccer.” She was named California Sportswriter of the Year in both 2014 and 2017. She has two children and lives in Mill Valley.